Wilhelm Schmalz

Wilhelm Schmalz (1 March 1901-14 March 1983) was a Generalleutnant of Nazi Germany during World War II.

Biography
Wilhelm Schmalz was born on 1 March 1901 in Reussen, Saxony, German Empire. Schmalz rose in the ranks of the Wehrmacht between World War I and World War II, having joined the Reichswehr in 1919. He served in the blitzkrieg invasions of Poland, France, Yugoslavia, and the Soviet Union, and on 16 April 1944 he was given command of the Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Goering, leading it against the Allied Powers in the Italian campaign (including the Battle of Anzio) and later the Soviets during the campaign to defend the homeland of Nazi Germany, including at Bautzen. In May 1945 he was accused of war crimes in Italy, but in 1950 the charges were dropped. He died in 1983 at the age of 82.